Groundwater Sustainability Plan
The purpose of the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) is to meet the regulatory requirements set forth in the three-bill legislative package consisting of Assembly Bill (AB) 1739 (Dickinson), Senate Bill (SB) 1168 (Pavley), and SB 1319 (Pavley), collectively known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). SGMA defines sustainable groundwater management as the "management and use of groundwater in a manner that can be maintained during the planning and implementation horizon without causing undesirable results." Undesirable results are defined by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) as any of the following effects caused by groundwater conditions occurring throughout the basin:
- Chronic lowering of groundwater levels indicating a significant and unreasonable depletion of supply;
- Significant and unreasonable reduction of groundwater storage;
- Significant and unreasonable seawater intrusion;
- Significant and unreasonable degraded water quality;
- Significant and unreasonable land subsidence; and/or
- Depletions of interconnected surface water that have significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial uses of the surface water.
The Monterey Subbasin has been designated by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) as medium priority. The Monterey Subbasin is one of the nine subbasins in the Salinas Valley. It is located at the northwestern end of the Salinas Valley and borders the Pacific Ocean.
The GSP has been co-developed by the Marina Coast Water District Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MCWD GSA) and the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) to meet SGMA regulatory requirements by the January 31, 2022, deadline for medium and high priority basins while reflecting local needs and preserving local control over water resources. The GSP provides a path to achieve and document sustainable groundwater management within 20 years following Plan adoption and preserves the long-term sustainability of locally-managed groundwater resources now and into the future.
Feedback Welcome
We welcome feedback from communities and individuals who use groundwater and will be affected by the plans. To contribute, please complete the feedback form.
Documents
| Completed GSP (January 2022) | |
| Full Document with Appendices (165 MB) | |
| Executive Summary (1.05 MB) | |
| GSP Final Draft (December 2021) | |
| Main Document Without Appendices | |
| Appendices | |
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| Comment Letters and Responses | |
| Memo to MCWD Regarding Updated Draft Monterey Groundwater Sustainability Plan | |
| Previous Versions | |
| Chapter 6 & 7 Appendices (Nov 10, 2021) | |
| UPDATED Notice of Public Comment Period and Public Hearing (Nov 10, 2021) | |
| Notice of Public Comment Period and Public Hearing (Sep 20, 2021) | |
| Monterey Subbasin GSP Chapters 1-10 Combined (Sep 20, 2021) | |
| GSP List of Abbreviations (Sep 20, 2021) | |
| References (Sep 20, 2021) | |
| Public Comment Letters From Salinas Basin Water Alliance (Oct 15, 2021) | |
| Initial Notification Letter (Mar 28, 2018) | |
| Monterey Subbasin GSP, Chapters 1-4 | |
| Monterey Subbasin GSP, Chapter 5 | |
| Monterey Subbasin GSP, Chapter 7 | |
| Monterey Subbasin GSP, Chapter 8 | |
| GSP List of Abbreviations | |
| References | |